Frame My Mirror Avis 2

You can get a good result, but it can be difficult, especially with a larger mirror. Issues to note: you need to replace existing plastic clips around the mirror with shallow metal ones they send you. This is needed because the plastic clips are too thick for the install. However, the clips they provide are inadequate because they were too shallow for the thickness of our mirror. I needed to search and find washers to place behind the clips so they could fit properly and flush against the wall.

There are cardboard squares you need to fold to place on the mirror corners to help position the frame. However, they are flimsy with two sided tape that doesn't stick well. They easily fall off making the install even more frustrating.

You also may not get a flush fit between borders of the frame pieces you need to assemble. There was a small, but noticeable gap at one corner. Since the frame was white, I ended up used caulking compound to fill the gap, and it looked OK.

With a large mirror, having two people to lift and place the frame is a must. If you are not very careful, and the frame should stick on misaligned, there won't be any easy way to get it off to realign.

We ended up getting a good result that we are happy with. But there was definite frustration with the whole process, and it could have gone very wrong. Really don't know how much more it would have cost to have a local window/glass company do the job. Consider it may be worth spending more to avoid frustration, or a bad result. Again, YMMV.

Frame-My-Mirror. The concept of framing a plain mirror sounds good and a framed mirror does look better. So I ordered a smallish frame (38x38 inches) in white (Carson Reverse). The total cost was $250 – very expensive for an MDF frame (aka a paper product). This product came in some very impressive packaging. They must have spent $100 just on the packaging. After opening the package things didn’t go too well. Let’s start with the videos online: these videos show a demur, pretty, young lady (Allison) easily putting together a frame and installing it with little effort and no help. Hogwash. It’s not that easy. Holding the frame pieces together with wet glue and tapping in the wedges, all at the same time, is not easy. If you manage that, you turn the frame over and notice that although the back side seemed flush, the front of the frame is not flush, so you have to adjust it to keep the front surfaces flush, while continuing to apply pressure until the glue sets (because without pressure there will be a gap at the 45-degree seam). Based on my experience, you should do one corner at a time and wait for the glue to dry before attaching another corner. Side note: I am very handy and capable of building my own frame – but I reasoned that some added cost may be worth getting a ready to install frame (I was wrong).

Another thing that the video shows is that the colored facing (finish) of the frame is thick, about 1/8 thick. That was not the case on my frame, which had a paper thin facing (thin layer of paint). I soon discovered that this facing layer scrapes off easily, exposing the underlying MDF (paper). If keep mentioning “paper” because it is relevant: the assembly instructions say to use a damp cloth to wipe off glue residue. As soon as any moisture gets on the unfinished MDF (paper) it starts falling apart and fraying. Of course, the website FAQ tells you “…The resulting material is entirely resistant to humidity”. Hogwash! This PRODUCT IS NOT GOOD FOR A BATHROOM. Also discovered that if you wipe it down, even with just soapy water, it will take the finish off. And No – this was not a frame intended for customer painting.

If you’re curious why I didn’t return this item and get my money back it is because I read the return policy: it says “All items must be returned in original condition”, and “…it will need to be repackaged in the original packaging”. In other words, you can’t return it if you opened the package and if you started putting this together. Sometimes you (the customer) have to accept responsibility for being taken by sleek pictures and videos on a website.

Bottom line: this may be a good idea, but it’s poorly executed and not worth the exorbitant price. Materials and finish are poor quality. The website is full of hogwash. My frame should have cost well under $100 to make it worthwhile compared to a do-it-yourself project. The assembly effort is not significantly less than a DIY project. I have two other mirrors to do, so I’ll be going to Home Depot or Lowes.